What it's about: The widowed father of young man with Down syndrome is dying -- and must figure out how to provide for his son after his death.

Why you might like it: Consider this a non-traditional road novel; the unnamed narrator takes a long-postponed cross-country trip with his son, paid for by his role as census-taker for a mysterious governmental agency.

What it's about: Star athlete Niru is bound for the Ivy League...until his loving but traditional Nigerian parents discover that he's gay. The repercussions are violent and far-reaching.

Why you should read it: Cross-generational misunderstandings, as well as cross-cultural complications, are sensitively portrayed. Niru is a complex young man trying to come to terms with being a young gay black man.

Is it for you? Readers who prefer happy endings will want to look elsewhere.

Starring: motherless Poornima and penniless Savitha, whose deep friendship sustains them in their rural Indian town.

What it's about: Separatedby acts of cruelty and abuse, the two young women must navigate the world alone, each searching for the other.

Why you might like it: Narrated in the girls' alternating voices, this debut novel offers a vivid portrayal of contemporary India, as well as a devastating exploration of gender inequalities and human trafficking.

Starring: astronomer Augustine, seemingly stranded at the top of the world, and astronaut Sully, whose voyage to Jupiter is coming to an end.

What happens: Both unable to contact anyone else on Earth (are they all dead? Have radio transmitters been silenced?), the two scientists must come to terms with their future in a dark and silent world.

Why you might like it: This leisurely paced, unusual take on a post-apocalyptic novel is quietly moving.

Did you know? The sun never sets if you're above the Arctic Circle in summer, as both 21-year-old Frances and 17-year-old Yasha learn when they arrive in remote Lofoten, Norway. She's there to take up residency in an artists' colony; he's there to bury his father.

Why you might like it: With a cast of quirky supporting characters, poetic language, and vivid descriptions of the harsh and melancholy landscape, this not-quite-romance offers an intriguing portrait of family, uncertainty, and loss.

What it is: a sprawling novel that involves a black boy named Radar born inexplicably to white parents and a secretive group of physicist puppeteers who stage experimental performances in the world's war zones.

You might also like: Kevin Wilson's The Family Fang, another character-centered tale with performance artists in starring roles.

Where does the Arctic come in? Radar meets the puppeteers in northern Norway, above the Arctic Circle.

What it's about: Eighth-grader Bee Branch has been promised a trip to Antarctica by her parents, tech guru Elgin Branch and architect Bernadette Fox. Until Bernadette -- whose creative genius is outstripped only by her social anxiety and agoraphobia -- disappears.

Why you might like it: Acompilation of emails, faxes, official documents, and letters forms the basis of this delightful, charming, witty novel.

Starring: floundering but talented painter Cooper Gosling, who gets to spend a year at an artists' colony in Antarctica, where she is drawn into the complex social and political dynamics of the isolated station.

Why you might like it: This humorous, inventive debut novel combines science, art, and the politics of climate change -- with plenty of quirky characters to drum up complications.